Data: Average 1min+ delay on Super Bowl streams
February 12, 2024
Data from Phenix reveals the streaming delays viewers in the US experienced during Super Bowl LVIII.
Phenix measured the delays from the field-of-play to NFL+ mobile, CBS on YouTubeTV, CBS on Hulu+ Live TV, DirecTV Stream, CBS on fuboTV, Paramount+ and ViX / ViX+ clocking in at an average of over one minute across the streaming sources measured.
Additional findings include:
- Broadcast delays increased from previous years
- Average cable delay behind field of play was 50.40 seconds – for some as high as 79.92 seconds
- Average fibre delay (Verizon Fios) behind field of play was 29 seconds
- Average over the air (OTA) delay behind field of play was 22.19 seconds
Jed Corenthal, former NFL Director of Marketing and now CMO of Phenix, commented: “Rabbit ear antennas, which were introduced in the 1950s, are making a comeback in 2024, and it’s because people are resorting to old school solutions to get real-time updates. In 2023, consumers on average spent $48 a month on streaming services, so spending even more when the technology exists to better the streaming viewing experience, is simply put, unacceptable. Fans are becoming increasingly frustrated and we are reaching a tipping point – changes need to be made to bring the ‘live’ to televised sporting events into 2024.”
Roy Reichbach, CEO of Phenix, added: “This is the fifth year we’ve conducted our Super Bowl latency study, and unfortunately nothing has changed – the industry has yet to catch up with consumer demand to provide a real-time experience. For today’s consumers, live sporting events are riddled with spoilers, especially as we continue to see this new ‘scroll and watch’ habit, getting notifications straight to our phones via apps and social media. For one of the most highly anticipated sporting and cultural moments, and in a world where artificial intelligence is taking reign, there should be no excuse as to why broadcasters aren’t able to stream the game as it is happening on the field in real-time. A solution exists, and the people want it.”